Local Student Chosen to Help Around the World

"I'll be taking a trip to Ecuador to help build a school," said Lyle high school junior Zoe Lester.

When the Lyle school district sent 40 students and staff members to the "We Day" community action program in the Twin Cities a month ago, 16-year-old Zoe Lester was one of them.

"We day was an amazing experience," she recalled.

“The moment the kids came off the bus we knew immediately something had changed," added Lyle school principal Melanie Jiskra

“You go in thinking you are already inspired, you're already doing a lot, but you just want to do more," Zoe Lester told us.

And she WILL be doing more.

“They had chosen me out of 18,000 people that were at we day," Zoe Lester told us. And a year and a half from now, she’ll will be one of 300 people from Minnesota's first-ever we day event, building schools in Ecuador.

"It's a 14 day trip, you get to meet all these people, you get to try different things," Zoe added.

Students were invited to "We Day" based on the involvement in local community betterment projects. But one of the requirements was that they also adopt a global project.

"We're asking all the students to buy bricks to build schools in Kenya," Zoe Lester explained.

“They all came back with a small school and the goal of that is to use quarters, and if you fill this you'll have 20 dollars," principal Melanie Jiskra said.

“We have had people in the community say they'll match our price if we make a thousand dollars," Zoe Lester said. “Our motto is to give a little bit more, and I thought this gives a little bit more."

About 200 students from the Rochester school district also took par in We Day activities in the Twin Cities earlier this month